Self-closing hatchway



(No Model.) I 2 Sheets-Sheet 1. T. H. HULBERT. SELF CLOSING HATCHWAY.

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[No Model. 2 Sheets- Sheet 2.

y T. H. HULBERT.

SELF CLOSING HATGHWAY.

No. 313,210. I Patented Man-3, 1885.

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ATENT SELF-CLOSING HATCHWAY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 313,210, dated Maroh3, 1885.

Application filed June 20, 1884. (No model.)

form ascends and descends, and in which the I covers are operated by said car, and is especially useful in preventing drafts of air. and

spread of flame in case of fire, while at the same time, and during the active use of the elevator, the openings at the several floors are kept'covered, avoiding loss of life by persons falling therein. I provide twoflexible covers or aprons of fire-proof material fastened a slight distance under the edges of the floor, and reaching from opposite sides of the hatchway and meeting in the center, and together covering the opening. Two strong tensional springs, attached to the forward edges of the covers, at the corners, draws them forcibly together, extended across the opening, but with liberty of movingback to allow the elevatorcar to pass. These flexible doors gradually droop or bag as the elevator approaches, and when it is passing they are completely looped or collapsed against the sides of the hatchway, occupying but little space, and after the elevator has passed they again gradually extend.

The mechanism bywhich I accomplish the easy opening of the covers, their retention against the sides, and easy closing again is comparatively simple and entirely automatic, and is operated by the elevator-car in its travel up or down the shaft. I provide four arms or levers slightly curved, preferably, and of sufficient length, extending upward and backward from and supporting the forward edges of each set of doors, and attached at their upper ends in proper bearings to the sides of the shaft. These levers are attached at their lower ends to two bars forming the front edges of their respective covers in reasonably accurate bearings, allowing the partial rotation necessay, but avoiding cramping by one portion of either door getting ahead of the other. I

provide also a set of almost similar levers below, but extending backward or in the opposite direction. They are mounted at their lower ends on bearings at the sides of the shaft, but at their upper ends each embraces, with a fork or slot, the front edges of the door, thus giving liberty of considerable play. The elevator-car in its ascent and descent rubs against these levers, forcing their ends apart, and thus drooping or bagging the flexible covers against the sides of the shaft. ners of the elevator-car which operates the levers, I provide anti-friction rollers and vertical ways therefrom along the sides, against which the levers can bear while the elevator is passing and I arrange a brace or look hold-' ing the levers outward in place, excepting when the elevator is approaching, to prevent bagging of the covers if anything should fall on them. On freightelevators, where there is no frame-work, I attach a rigid frame, or as many bars as there are levers reaching up from the platform, to operate said levers.

The accompanying drawings form a partof this specification, and represent what I con sider the bestmeans of carrying out my invention.

Figure 1 is a central vertical section of part of an elevator-shaft-having myimproved doors and mechanism, the car being represented as ascending and having almost reached the level of the floor. Fig. 2 is a central vertical section corresponding to Fig. 1, but at right angles thereto. Fig. 3 is a plan view of the hatchway, showing the covers as closed across the opening. Figs. 4 and 5 represent details detached and on a larger scale, Fig. 4 being a section of my fire-proof cover attached tothe floor, showing the construction I consider most desirable; Fig. 5, a perspective view of part of an apron or cover, the front bar or slat thereof, and the upper lever attached thereto. Fig. 6 represents a modification, and is a side view of my improved hatchway, in which each cover is of only two pieces,hinged at the cen- At the corter, and in which the levers are practically I straight instead of curved.

Similar letters of reference indicate like parts in all the figures.

A A are the flexible covers; B B, the supj porting-levers, extending upward and hinged to the walls in accurate bearings b b,- C O, the corresponding levers below, hinged at c c to the wall or sides D of the shaft, and embracing in,

the slots c, in the upper ends thereof, the crossbar or front portion, A, at the corners.

D D are the several floors, and A A the edge ofeach cover, which is hinged or attached thereto at D" D with liberty of swinging downward.

E E are the tensional springs attached at the sides of the front bar, A, of each cover.

G represents the elevatorcar having the anti-friction rollers G and ways 9, which operate the levers, and against which they bear when the elevator is in the vicinity.

H is thelock or brace, having a rule-jointor other provision for holding the covers positively extended, except when the elevator is approaching; and h h, the rod and pin, connected thereto in such manner that the elevator-car in its traverse toward this floor will trip and unlock the brace.

In operation, as the elevator-car approaches from below, the pin or lever h is moved by the roller G on the side of the car, which liberates and holds the lock H in this position. The rollers G now begin to bear on the lowest and gradually-inclined surfaces of the four levers G, prying them at first very slowly and then more swiftly apart, and at the same time sagging or opening covers A A until the top of the car has reached the level of the floor, when the springs E E are fully extended and the hatch completely open. As the car continues to ascend the adjacent parts rub against the ways guntil the floor-level has been passed, when the covers A and all the levers gradually take their former closed and extended position. When the car is delivering its freight at the next floor, the hatch at this will be closed, or nearly so.

The curved form of my levers B and O insures the more gentle commencement of the opening movement and prevents the shock and jar which would be more likely to occur if the levels were straight, and which in other forms of automatic hatch-covers is so annoying and wearing on the parts.

All the parts of my apparatus are of thinand light dimensions, are of metal, and thus fire-proof. The covers swing free, moving independent of. ways or tracks from the floor, and always under tension, thus avoiding danger from cramping, and withal the whole is practically noiseless.

Modifications may be made without departing from my invention. At the other floors than the top and bottom two rods, h, and 1evers h, for unlocking the braceH, will be necessary, one set below, as shown in Fig. 1, and the other above, being operated by the car in its descent above the levers B, as will be obvious. I can, if found desirable in any case, support the covers A on the lower levers, O, forming the bearings for the rods A therein, and having the upper levers, B, provided with the slots. I can use other forms of .material than slats for the flexible covers O-such as wovenwire bands or tape, or overlapping strips like ashutter. In some cases it will be advantageous to arrange the tensional springs E from each bar A across to the other side, or to projections from the side walls, by which four springs will be used at each floor instead of two, so that it will not be so great a strain on them, and so that both covers will be uniformly urged to their fully-extended position, even if one should lag or catch. The antifriction-rollers G can be dispensed with, and the ways 9 well lubricated, or the moving car operate the levers B and G. I can provide tensional springs from below the sides of the hatchway to the middle slats of each cover, to

insure their bagging or doubling at the right point; or I can provide weights on the center slats for the same purpose; but I do not now deem this will be necessary. I propose in some instances,where the floors of the building are somewhat close together, to shorten the levers as it may be found necessary; but this will increase the relative rise and fall of the meeting edges of the covers A; and to obviate this I will provide slots in the ends of the upper as well as the lower levers, by which each will take half of the vertical motion, as will be obvious. I may make each cover A A, as shown in Fig. 6, of but two wide sections, or what would really be of two slats joined or hinged at their meeting edges, and provided, as in their other forms, with the extending springs E E, so that when the elevator is passing they are folded against each other at each side, occupying but very little space. It will be obvious that the covers A A can be arranged so as to fold upward instead of downward, if such should be found desirable in any instance. I can make all the levers B and 0 straight, as shown in Fig. 7, which construction will avoid any protruding of portions outside the line of the shaft, and will not require any ways at the side of the elevator-car, as the levers willalways bear against the rollers at the edges. I can use weights, properly connected with ropes and pulleys, to draw the covers into the extended position, instead of the spring E; and instead of the arms h for the elevator to trip in unlocking the brace H, which may be liable to get out of order by the sudden shocks,

I can provide inclined surfaces or levers which of wood, canvas, or other material treated with a fireproofing substance, or without such treatment. In some situations-such as where a brick wall forms the immediate face of one side of the shaft-I can use one large cover, A, with its levers B and O and springs E all reaching across to the opposite side, and, when the elevator approaches, folding or looping back all at one side of the shaft. I can, if desired, make the springs E to urge the covers together by a pushing instead of a pulling force, in which case I would still retain the advantage of a continual tension on all the 3. In an automatic hatch-closing device, the lock H and operating parts, in combination with the levers O, and adapted to be tripped by the elevator, as and for the purposes herein specified.

4. The supporting and operating levers B and G, of such curved outline that the elevator in its motion will impinge on a slight and gradually-increasing angle, in combination with such elevator and with the folding cove'rs A A, as and for the purposes described.

5. In an automatichatch-closing device, the combination of the closing means E with the looping-covers A A A and levers B and G,

the whole operating together, as and for the purposes herein specified.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand, at Minneapolis aforesaid, this 9th day of June, 1884., in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

T. H. HULBERT.

\Vitnesses:

J. W. LAUDERDALE, (has. 0. STETSON. 

